The New Nation - Internet Edition

A Correspondent, Faridpur

At least 17 people were killed and 50 others injured when a bus fell into a roadside ditch at Dignagar-Tatulia area under Kanaipur Union on the Khulna-Dhaka highway on Friday at 1.30 am. Fourteen of them were killed on the spot while the others succumbed to injuries on their way to hospital.

Police said the Dhaka bound bus from Khulna, carrying mostly day labourers, fell into a 20-feet deep ditch at about 1:30 am when its driver lost control over the steering, leaving 14 people dead on the spot. Police and fire fighters with the help of local people started rescue operation just after the accident took place. The injured were rushed to the Faridpur Medical College and Hospital. Deputy Commissioner Helaluddin Ahmed said the deceased would be given Tk 4000 each while the injured would get Tk 1000 each.

Noore Alam Siddiqee, Officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police Station, said that six of the deceased were identified as Soleman Sheikh,45, from Magura, Md. Idrish, 34, from Jhalakathi, Shiddat Jourder, 07, from Khulna, Issar Ali, 35, from Manikganj, Bipul Biswas,35, from Khulna and Md Mamun, 22 from Jhalakti.

UNB reports that at least 25 people were injured in attacks on the rallies of Chhatra Dal and the Bangladesh Jamaat-I-Islami Office at Kachua and Morelganj upazilas on Friday. District BNP general secretary Ali Reza Babu said that Kachua and Morelganj units of JCD organized separate rallies on the occasion of its 31st founding anniversary. Then a team of that 20-25 activists of Chhatra League attacked the JCD rally at Signboard Bazaar in Kachua at noon, leaving eight people injured.

In another incident, some BCL activists attacked the rally of Morelganj Chhatra Dal organized at the house of upazila BNP president Dr Miah Abbasuddin, leaving nine people injured.

Meanwhile, eight people were injured in an attack at the BJI office at Moghia in Kachua upazila on the same day. District Jamaat Ameer Principal Moulana Moshiur Rahman said that their office came under attack by a group of 20-25 miscreants during the oath taking ceremony of the upazila Ameer.